Two Days In London: One Bridge at a Time Quiz

Answer: SIS (MI6) Building

The first Vauxhall Bridge was completed in 1816 to replace a ferry. By 1895 it was badly damaged by corrosion and was replaced five years behind schedule in 1906 when a steel and granite deck arch bridge was completed. The bridge was criticised for its sheer functionality and lack of architectural ornamentation. Architect William Riley suggested erecting two 60 foot (18 m) pylons with with statues atop of each pylon at each end of the bridge. This was rejected but in consultation with another architect, it was decided to erect four bronze statues above the piers. The Bridge still carries a significant traffic flow: It is on the A202 arterial road

All four buildings listed are near the bridge. However the photo shows the Secret Intelligence Service (also known as the MI6) Building. It was featured in several "James Bond" movies including one where it was blown up (by special effects). Equally well-known, but out of shot, is the quad-stacked Battersea Power Station which featured on the cover of Pink Floyd's 1977 album, "Animals".

Answer: The colour of the leather benches in the House of Lords

Like Vauxhall Bridge, Lambeth Bridge is the second to have that name. The first, opened in 1862, was a suspension bridge. However it suffered from steep approaches, making it difficult for horse-drawn traffic, and was underused. In 1928, the bridge was replaced by a five-span steel arch affair.

The red colouring was a nod to the colour of the leather benches in the House of Lords, while the green of Westminster Bridge reflected the colour of the leather benches in the House of Commons). The bridge is known for the pairs of obelisks at each end of the bridge, which are topped by stone pine cones.

There is an alternative theory that they are pineapples, to honour Lambeth resident John Tradescant, who is supposed to have grown the first pineapple in Great Britain. Given the cold damp climate the the UK endures, that is quite some achievement. I can vouch that they look more like pineapples than pine cones.

Answer: The London Eye

A bridge at Westminster was first proposed in 1664, when the next bridge across the Thames upstream of London Bridge was at Kingston, over 10 miles upstream. The first Westminster Bridge to be built was a sixteen stone-arch structure, completed in 1750. By the middle of the 19th century it was expensive to maintain and had begun to subside badly. It was replaced in 1862 with a seven-arch cast-iron structure fashioned in the Gothic style. This is the oldest road bridge crossing the Thames in central London.

The London Eye is the only option listed on the south side of the river. The other three are on the north side of the bridge not far from the Houses of Parliament.

Answer: The Golden Jubilee Bridges

The first Hungerford bridge opened in 1845 as a suspension footbridge. In 1859 the South Eastern Railway (SER) was a railway company that bought the bridge to allow its railway line to Dover to commence from the north bank of the River. In 1864, the bridge was replaced (albeit with the existing buttresses), to create a nine span bridge made of wrought iron lattice girders. Walkways were added making it the only central London bridge with pedestrian and rail access.

However the walkways were narrow and dangerous and in 1996 a competition was held for a new design.

The successful architects had to be mindful of the Bakerloo Line being immediately under the bridge and the railway had to keep operating during construction. The new four metre wide walkways were opened in 2002 and while they officially have a regal name they are still referred to as the "Hungerford Footbridges".

Answer: True

The first bridge was designed in 1809 and opened in 1817 as a toll bridge. The granite bridge had nine arches, each with a 120 feet span. It was 2,456 feet long, with approaches of 1,240 feet between abutments. Before its opening it was always known as the Strand Bridge.

By the 1920s, there were serious structural issues with the bridge and it was decided to demolish it in the 1930s. The new bridge was opened in 1942. The beams are designed to look like graceful arches but in fact the weight is supported by transverse concrete slabs. Famous for the Kinks' song, "Waterloo Sunset" which tells of watching life from Waterloo Bridge.

Answer: Yes

The first bridge built in 1769 took advantage of the disused wharfage of the Fleet River which emptied into the Thames near the now northern end of the bridge, when it was realised that a bridge could be built that would not disrupt traffic. The first bridge was an arch bridge built of Portland stone but by 1840 a new bridge was required.

The second bridge was 1869 was opened by Queen Victoria in 1869. It is 923 feet long, made up of of five wrought iron arches. It is one of the most decorative bridges on the Thames: the side downstream side has carvings which show marine life and seabirds.

The statues on the upstream side depict freshwater birds. This is because Blackfriars Bridge is the the tidal turning point of the Thames. A further decorative feature is that the ends of the bridge are fashioned like a pulpit to pay homage to Blackfriars, as at one time there was a Dominican monastery in the same precinct.

Answer: St Paul's Cathedral

Known as the Millennium Bridge, the bridge first opened in 2000 but was quickly nicknamed the "Wobbly Bridge" by Londoners as the bridge had a large unexpected swaying motion. It was almost immediately closed for two years until modifications could be effected.

St Paul's Cathedral, first consecrated in 1300, was rebuilt into the present building in 1697, its predecessor having burnt down in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The 365 feet (111 metre) high dome has dominated the skyline for over 300 years and was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1967.

The Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe (a replica) can be found near the south end of this bridge.

Answer: Southwark Bridge

The first Southwark Bridge opened in 1819 and was notable for having the longest cast iron span of any bridge at 240 feet. However a new bridge was needed by the early 20th century, and, in 1921 a new five span arch bridge was opened. One of the reasons for the low traffic load was once you cross from the south to the north, you cannot access the City due to the "Ring of Steel", an anti-terrorist device preventing access to the City itself. Instead, you access Upper Thames St which runs east-west.

It is somewhat of a shame that the bridge is under-utilised, as it is one of the prettiest London bridges as depicted by the photograph.

The Albert and Chelsea Bridges deserve a place in this quiz as they both have architectural merit. However they are both located slightly upstream of the centre of London.

Answer: 1973

The present London Bridge is an unattractive steel and concrete box girder bridge opened in 1973. The other dates are the approximate dates, previous versions opened.

The first permanent bridge was built by the Romans as a piled bridge about a 100 feet from the present bridge. A settlement appeared at the northern end which, in turn became the settlement of Londinium. Both bridge and town were destroyed by the Boudican revolt in 60 AD but both were rebuilt, linking four arterial roads of the north with four arterial roads of the south. After the end of Roman rule, Londinium was left abandoned and the bridge neglected into disrepair. It may have been rebuilt around 990 but if it was it was destroyed again. King William I definitely rebuilt the bridge in 1066 but the timber bridge was destroyed and rebuilt several times. A stone bridge was built in the thirteenth century and was rebuilt several times after fires and subsidence itself caused much damage (The subsidence was not helped by up to 250 commercial and residential structures built on the bridge). A "new" bridge comprising five stone arches with no additional building permitted ion the bridge itself was built between 1825-1831. It became the busiest point in London. The bridge has to be widened by 13 feet but subsidence was an issue. The bridge was offered for sale. In 1967 an American businessman paid $US2.46m for the bridge and meticulously rebuilt the bridge across Lake Havasu in Arizona.
The "Modern" London bridge was built between 1968-1973 and opened by Queen Elizabeth.
The photo was taken on 30 July 2017. The flowers are to commemorate people who died in a terrorist attack on the bridge in two months earlier. There had been another terrorist attack in March of the same year on Westminster Bridge.

Answer: A bridge that allows the roadway to elevate at one or both ends to allow shipping to pass underneath

The bridge consists of "two bridge towers joined at the upper level by two horizontal, suspended walkways (now closed to the public). These were included to "withstand the horizontal tension forces exerted by the suspended sections" of the land sides of the two towers.
A bascule bridge, sometimes called a drawbridge, is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that balances a span, allowing upward swing to provide clearance for shipping traffic. It may be single- or double-leafed. The Tower Bridge is double leafed and the leaves reach 86 degrees from the horizontal. Tower Bridge and the Van Buren Bridge in Chicago were completed at the same time. Bascule bridges became popular thereafter.
The bridge was completed in 1894 and is the only one of the ten central London bridges described here. that is not on its second or subsequent version.
Many people believe it is called the Tower Bridge because of its two towers. However, it is named after the Tower of London which is adjacent to the bridge.